03-15-2006, 02:31 AM
<<Presumably an anatomical waistline indicates a desire to emulate a musculata...>>
...or maybe a desire not to get stabbed in the lower belly!
<<So we have yet MORE evidence that the musculata is a class, not a type, and quoted far and wide...>>
Well, OK. But it seems to me the Roman mail shirt was modeled more on the Greek linothorax. Particularly this one, with the ultra long shoulder doubling, which doesn't much resemble a muscle cuirass at all. The scooped lower edge might just be a little "custom flourish," a Centurion saying, "see, I've got the extra cash to have my mail specifically tailored to look snazzy with my subarmalis and pteruges." And there's probably some desire to emulate the muscle cuirass of a senior officer as well, albeit in a more combat-ready form— remember, Centurions led from the front right and were in the thick of fighting, so their armor needs to be practical and protective as well as pretty.
<<The musculata remains the thorniest type of armor I know>>
Would those thorns be mounted on the outside of the cuirass, or (ouch!) on the inside...
...or maybe a desire not to get stabbed in the lower belly!
<<So we have yet MORE evidence that the musculata is a class, not a type, and quoted far and wide...>>
Well, OK. But it seems to me the Roman mail shirt was modeled more on the Greek linothorax. Particularly this one, with the ultra long shoulder doubling, which doesn't much resemble a muscle cuirass at all. The scooped lower edge might just be a little "custom flourish," a Centurion saying, "see, I've got the extra cash to have my mail specifically tailored to look snazzy with my subarmalis and pteruges." And there's probably some desire to emulate the muscle cuirass of a senior officer as well, albeit in a more combat-ready form— remember, Centurions led from the front right and were in the thick of fighting, so their armor needs to be practical and protective as well as pretty.
<<The musculata remains the thorniest type of armor I know>>
Would those thorns be mounted on the outside of the cuirass, or (ouch!) on the inside...
T. Flavius Crispus / David S. Michaels
Centurio Pilus Prior,
Legio VI VPF
CA, USA
"Oderint dum probent."
Tiberius
Centurio Pilus Prior,
Legio VI VPF
CA, USA
"Oderint dum probent."
Tiberius
